An Act building a more accessible Massachusetts

This legislation updates state disability regulations that have fallen behind federal standards in the past decade. The key action this bill takes to make Massachusetts more accessible is by making changes to the Architectural Access Board (AAB), a state-level board that develops and enforces regulations designed to make public buildings accessible to, functional for, and safe for use by persons with disabilities.

If passed, this bill will add an additional member of the disability advocacy community to the AAB. It also extends the AAB’s regulatory authority to employee areas of public buildings, expands its authority to spaces around buildings like parking lots and sidewalks, and aligns the body’s definition of “public building” with ADA regulations.

Previously, much of the language of this bill was included in the House version of the 2022 Economic Development bill, but was later dropped as part of the process to pass a narrow bill during informal session.

An Act relative to chemicals in food packaging

This legislation would ban the sale or use of packaging that is manufactured with PFAS, chemicals that can linger in the body for decades and are known to have significant human health risks.

PFAS, or Polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a class designation that includes nearly 10,000 chemicals used to make everyday items waterproof, stain resistant, or non-stick. These chemicals have become ubiquitous in products ranging from cookware to furniture to children’s toys, despite posing dangerous health risks. Even at low levels, the toxicity of PFAS chemicals can be devastating — increasing the risk of cancer, immunosuppression, birth defects, colitis, and other diseases. Compounding these dangers is the persistent nature of PFAS chemicals, known as “forever chemicals” for their resistance to breaking down in the environment.

8 states have already passed bans on consumer products manufactured with PFAS.

An Act improving child eye care

This legislation implements recommendations of the Children’s Vision Report, released in 2021 by the Childhood Vision and Eye Health Commission.

If passed, this legislation would create a comprehensive system to track children’s eye care — including screenings, follow-up appointments, and treatments — whether the interaction happened at a school or a doctor’s office.

The legislation would also establish an advisory committee comprised of eye care experts and stakeholders to make recommendations to improve how we deliver eye care to children.

An Act establishing an Internal Special Audit Unit within the Cannabis Control Commission

This legislation would ensure the quality, efficiency, and integrity of the CCC’s operational and regulatory functions through the establishment of an Inspector General Special Audit Unit. The unit will exist within, but will not be subject to the control of the CCC, and mirrors special audit units within the State Police and the Department of Transportation. The unit would be authorized to receive funds from the Marijuana Regulation Fund. The bill also requires a memorandum of understanding between the CCC, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, and the Department of Public Utilities to promote communication and collaboration between the agencies.

Resolve establishing a commission to study energy rate procurement related to investor-owned utilities and consumer relief

Bay Staters deserve more transparency in how utilities set their gas and electricity rates — especially after this winter’s rate hikes.

This legislation would create a commission, comprised of legislative leaders, consumer advocates, and industry representatives, that would study and draft legislation to:

  • Reform regulations and policies that govern how energy rates are set by investor-owned utilities in Massachusetts

  • Establish an emergency interest-free payment plan program for Bay Staters who receive service through an investor-owned utility

An Act establishing a PFAS Research and Development Public Safety Fund

This legislation would create a dedicated fund to support programs and grants related to researching, developing, and purchasing PFAS-free firefighter gear.

PFAS, or Polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a class designation that includes nearly 10,000 chemicals used to make everyday items waterproof, fire-resistant, or non-stick. These chemicals have become ubiquitous in products ranging from cookware to firefighting equipment to children’s toys, despite posing dangerous health risks. Even at low levels, the toxicity of PFAS chemicals can be devastating — increasing the risk of cancer, immunosuppression, birth defects, colitis, and other diseases. Compounding these dangers is the persistent nature of PFAS chemicals, known as “forever chemicals” for their resistance to breaking down in the environment.

An Act updating the Commonwealth's wiretap statutes

As Massachusetts general law currently stands, law enforcement may use a wiretap or a witness to record conversations only when the crime is linked to “organized crime,” and only when that “organized crime” narrowly includes “a continuing enterprise to supply illegal goods and services.” This is an extraordinarily limiting set of rules and circumstances, and they very often prevent the investigation and prosecution of many other serious crimes that fall outside of those definitions, such as hate crimes, civil rights violations, and illegal firearm trafficking.

This legislation would amend the current wiretapping law, which was passed in 1968, to update the technologies covered by the law and expand the authority of law enforcement to use these capabilities to investigate crimes such as illegal firearm trafficking, hate crimes, and civil rights violations, which are all serious even when they are not connected to organized crime.

This legislation would not change the extremely rigorous process a wiretap request must go through: the only person who may request a wiretap is a DA or the AG, and a request may only be authorized by a Superior Court Judge. Additionally, the existing factors and high bar of exhaustion that needs to be met in order to even request a wiretap would not change.

Resolve establishing the Harmony Commission

The Harmony Commission will be made up of 27 child advocates, welfare experts, legal professionals, and state legislators, and will be required to issue a public report on its findings.

The primary objectives of the Harmony Commission are to:

  • Study how a child’s welfare and best interest considerations are handled in Care and Protection cases and Petition to Dispense with Care cases

  • Study how cases disproportionally impact children of color, immigrant children, children with disabilities, LGBTQ+ children, children who have experienced trauma, and poor children

  • Make recommendations on how we can better ensure the law balances the constitutional rights of parents with the best interest, wellbeing, and safety of children – particularly those who have experienced trauma

An Act relative to the reduction of certain toxic chemicals in firefighter personal protective equipment

This legislation would require fire departments and firefighters be notified if their gear and equipment contains PFAS. Two years after enactment, firefighting equipment and gear containing PFAS would be banned in Massachusetts.

PFAS, or Polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a class designation that includes nearly 10,000 chemicals used to make everyday items waterproof, fire resistant, or non-stick. These chemicals have become ubiquitous in products ranging from cookware to firefighting equipment to children’s toys, despite posing dangerous health risks. Even at low levels, the toxicity of PFAS chemicals can be devastating — increasing the risk of cancer, immunosuppression, birth defects, colitis, and other diseases. Compounding these dangers is the persistent nature of PFAS chemicals, known as “forever chemicals” for their resistance to breaking down in the environment.

An Act relative to hormonal contraceptives

This legislation would allow a registered pharmacist to prescribe and dispense hormonal contraceptive patches and self-administered oral hormonal contraceptives. This law would apply to people older than 18 without a previous prescription from a primary care practitioner or women’s health care practitioner, and people under the age of 18 if the person has a previous prescription from a primary care practitioner or women’s health care practitioner.

An Act reforming auto body labor rates

In Massachusetts, the current average reimbursable hourly labor rate is approximately $38, which is considerably lower than all other New England states and is the lowest in the country by at least $3, with the national average at almost $50 per hour. Our rate here is unilaterally set by each individual insurance company. As a result, the rate has seen a minimal increase over the last 20 years.

This legislation creates a regulatory process through which the Commissioner of the Division of Insurance may increase the hourly labor rates for which a repairer is reimbursed by insurance companies for automobile body repairs.

An Act establishing a bill of rights for survivors of sexual assault and related purposes

This bill establishes an assurance of certain rights for survivors of sexual assault. It includes the right to consult with a sexual assault counselor and the ability to have a supporter present during medical or physical examinations, or during interviews with law enforcement, prosecutors, or defense attorneys. It codifies the confidentiality of communications between a survivor and sexual assault counselors despite the presence of a third party. It also governs the collection of sexual assault evidence, barring medical providers from charging the survivor for the examination and alerting the survivor to emergency contraceptive options. The bill sets standards for the right to counsel, maintenance of evidence, and commonsense limitations on how that evidence could be used to prosecute survivors.

An Act relative to the use of unmanned aerial systems

Advancements in technology have made drones cheaper, more convenient, and more versatile, significantly expanding the use and intended purpose of these systems — including by law enforcement, fire departments, and other state and federal agencies.

This legislation bans the use of weaponized drones and ensures that drones are not used for warrantless surveillance. The bill includes sensible limits on government drone use, including:

  • For execution of a warrant

  • In emergencies when there is a threat to human life or safety

  • For non-law enforcement purposes if the information will not be used as evidence in criminal proceedings.

This bill also protects critical infrastructure and makes it illegal for unmanned areal systems to be used for the purpose of hunting.

An Act relative to improving outcomes for sudden cardiac arrest

This bill updates the existing Emergency 911 system to improve outcomes for individuals suffering sudden cardiac arrest (SAC). The Commonwealth’s 911 system responds to about 10 victims a day, but the survival rate is nearly ten times lower than in other parts of the country.

The legislation:

  • Requires that all dispatchers that provide dispatch for emergency medical conditions be trained in telephone-CPR

  • Adds a physician with a specialty in emergency medicine and a regional EMS expert to the State 911 Commission

  • Establishes a registry of Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) accessible by 911 operators to make them easier to locate in an emergency

  • Adds Sudden Cardiac Arrest to the list of reportable diseases, allowing the Commonwealth to collect improved data on these incidents.

An Act establishing a board of hoisting machinery regulations

This bill establishes a board of regulations specific to hoisting machinery. Hoisting licenses are the most common form of license provided by the Department of Public Safety, and they cover an enormous range of machinery and skill levels. Despite this, hoisting licenses are still overseen by the Construction Supervisor licensing process. This result is that both the testing for licenses, and the oversight of existing licenses or incidents is entirely unsuited for the realities of hoisting machinery.  

An Act relative to Advanced Placement examinations

The legislation requires all public institutions of higher education to develop and adopt written policies and procedures to accept a score of 3, 4, and 5 on all advanced placement examinations to satisfy degree requirements and make these policies transparent on university and college websites. The bill is modeled after similar legislation signed into law in other states and will help more students get an early start on college.